Transport / Calls for year-round low season fares for islanders at ferry consultation event
Consultation continuing on Thursday night and Friday
YEAR-ROUND low season fares, more cabins and more jobs – these are some of the things Shetlanders want for locals, according to responses to a Northern Isles ferry consultation.
Transport Scotland is inviting public responses to the latest Northern Isles Ferry Service (NIFS) contract, which is currently out for consultation until 13 October, and at Islesburgh in Lerwick today (Thursday) and tomorrow.
Officials from the transport agency are in Shetland to speak to people face-to-face as it looks to shape the future of the ferry service.
The current contract ends on 30 June 2028.
It comes at a time when both NorthLink and Transport Scotland have come in for strong criticism, particularly surrounding fare hikes announced in recent weeks.
A handful of people were at this afternoon’s consultation event in Islesburgh’s room 16, with a later session to come between 6pm-8pm tonight.
A final consultation session is being held in Islesburgh’s room 11 between 11am and 1pm on Friday.
David Torrance is Transport Scotland’s interim head of ferries unit, and was at Islesburgh to help direct members of the public towards the consultation material.
He was not, however, able to answer media questions about the consultation. These instead had to be directed to Transport Scotland’s media team.
Folk were invited to give feedback on four areas which Torrance said had emerged as important to Shetlanders during the consultation.
These were “accessibility”, “reliability”, “accommodation” and “freight”.
Another sheet was set aside for miscellaneous feedback, much of which criticised the prices that Shetlanders have to pay to get on and off the island.
One said it would “feel much fairer” if islanders paid the lowest-peak fares all year round, while another said locals should not have to pay the mid and high peak prices.
NorthLink’s low season runs between 7 January and 23rd March, and then again from 1 November to 17 December.
Another note said it was “an insult” that the Scottish Government raised NorthLink fares for 2026 in the same week it cut rail fares by up to 50 per cent between Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Some notes focused on the disparity of service that people in Orkney and Shetland faced. One note said that there was an “overprovision of sailings” to and from Orkney, but an under-provision for Shetlanders.
And another said the ferries should not call at Orkney when sailing from Shetland, as “they have other services”.
One note said simply that NorthLink should “use more local staff”.
While there was only a handful of people at the consultation event on Thursday when Shetland News attended, Transport Scotland was given strong feedback by one respondent about the need for more cabins to be made available for locals.
That idea echoed one raised by SNP election candidate Hannah Mary Goodlad last month, which the Scottish Government has pledged to trial.
Torrance said that the Shetland events had already been well attended, and that there had been a strong interest from locals about the consultation.
Transport Scotland said it was pleased with the response to the in-person events in both Shetland this week, and Orkney last week.
“These events give local people a chance to express their views directly to officials and to ask questions before leaving feedback on the day, either through written forms or digitally,” it said.
“All views will be considered as we develop the specification for the next NIFS contract. A consultation analysis report will also be published later in the year.”
As well as the in-person consultation this week, the online consultation has been running from July – ending on 13 October.
The next ferry contract, which is due to run from 2028 to 2036, is likely to see the biggest period of upheaval in the ferry service for decades.
The procurement process is currently underway for two new freight-flex ferries, with a contract hoped to be awarded for the work early next year, with both having the option to hold 200 passengers as well as extra freight capacity.
Those freight-flex ferries are currently estimated to be delivered in 2029.
And an outline business case for replacements for the Hjaltland and Hrossey ferries are also expected to be presented to Scottish ministers in 2026, with those ferries likely to join the service between 2031 and 2036.
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